The Game
by I-Am-Kingofgames
Summary: "Perhaps if you had given me the entire list of rules from the beginning, Bakura, this would be a fair game." Rewrite and reimagining of "Is This a Game?"
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

 **If you have been a reader of mine for a while, you might already know exactly what this is, and I do hope it's exciting in some way or another! I've been contemplating something this massive for a long time now, given the positive response to and aged writing of the original, and so this is going to be considered attempt #1 at an actual satisfying and complete "rewrite".**

 **Please don't be afraid to leave reviews, as they're what keeps me wanting to upload chapters!**

 **I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

When telling a story this large, it's hard to know where to start. Especially when it's been told before.

But any time a story is retold, there are obvious reasons for doing so.

A change of perspective, a new take on the story, or perhaps, the writer wants to revisit the world, or show off new skills.

And as you may know, if you've been down this path before, this story in particular, begins with a game.

"You already accepted the rules, Pharaoh. You can't go back now!"

He'd been tricked. Fooled. And there were few feelings worse to him than knowing he had the wool pulled over his eyes.

"Perhaps if you had given me the _entire_ list of rules from the beginning, Bakura, this would be a fair game."

Injustice. One of the things in this world he despised most. But of course, he should have expected it from the very beginning.

The young man standing across the table wore a sinister smirk, and if anyone else had seen it and been unaware of exactly who he was, they might have laughed. For his age, the expression almost held humor, if it wasn't for the _instability_ present in his eyes. His teeth almost appeared to be sharper than he knew they must have been in reality.

And now, of course, he thought he had the upper hand. What the boy on the opposite side of table didn't want to admit, was that he was right. He did have the upper hand.

This boy's face too, held expressions that didn't match their ages or situations. In fact, if anyone else was watching this, they'd surely laugh. This didn't seem serious, from an outside perspective.

It was an average Japanese apartment, very normal, even containing modern appliances. One of the boys standing there glaring almost hilariously was wearing a school uniform, indicating that he'd have school the next day, and thus, this feeble fight would surely prove inconsequential in these circumstances. School the next day? Surely these boys only had hours left before they needed to be asleep in time to rest before their alarm clocks went off in the morning.

But if one of the few who _knew_ had been watching, their reactions would have been different.

They wouldn't have been laughing.

They would have been scared.

Their many friends weren't here. It was only the two boys, giving each other looks that don't fit well in this setting, in this era, on a bright happy April afternoon in Japan.

What the average person wouldn't notice about this room, had to do with the number of people in it. On the outside, it appeared to be two boys, in an argument after school. Probably over something stupid, like a homework question.

No, what only a few people knew, or would even be able to know, is that this room contained _four_ people.

The two visible ones, and the two who couldn't currently be seen by each other or anyone else who happened to look for them. Very few people would know they were there at all.

One of which was very frustrated at having been tricked. It was the kind of tricked in which the fooled can't take back having been fooled. The kind with consequences.

"You agreed to the game, nonetheless. You agreed to the rules, and now you have to go through with it."

And it was true. The rules, presented to him as vaguely and safely as possible, hadn't sounded that bad.

1.- The game is a tabletop RPG in which we will use game pieces as representations of our soul.

2.- It will be a Shadow Game, giving us the ability to make the RPG feel as real as life.

3.- If player Yami no Bakura wins, player Yami no Yugi will leave him and his host alone so that he may act without restriction or other methods of "insistent pestering", for the next 7 (seven) days.

And the only one that originally concerned him at all,

4.- Player Yami no Bakura will act as "Dungeon Master"

Now, within that set of rules, it certainly didn't seem to be such a bad idea. Their punishment for losing would be to leave them alone for a week? It seemed like he was more involved in getting them out of their hair, than trying to actively hurt them in this one game. And, being Dungeon Master came with it's own rules. Although this RPG would be very very different than your average tabletop, that didn't mean he could act without following the rules of Dungeon Master. And this was a Shadow Game. So it would know, if he dared to cheat.

And so, of course they accepted.

"You didn't say anything in the rules about tampering with memories."

But they both knew these games were like contracts. Once you agreed it was sealed, and there was little to be done. He wasn't panicking yet, no. He wasn't the type to. He could feel his partner's worry, but panic wasn't quite what he'd call it.

They had been in sticky situations like this before. Surely this was no different.

"As Dungeon Master, those things were _implied_. I should also mention that this game is going to take considerably longer than the typical hour or two."

Another little red flag went up in his head, and he knew that was a very bad sign.

"I'll give you a few minutes before we start so that you can let your little friends know that someone will need to come find our bodies."

He paused, letting that sentence sink in. They'd need to find their bodies? He wasn't suggesting they'd be dead, of course. He was suggesting that this would take long enough that their bodies would need life support in order to be sustained while their souls existed within the game. That made him nervous. It made his partner nervous too.

Yugi sent him a few snippets of memories of how to text Anzu. She'd be the most reliable. Everyone else had the tendency to ignore their phones, especially if distracted by girls or games. He'd used phones before of course, but appreciated Yugi's guidance nonetheless, sending him silent gratitude as he typed the words he knew would make the girl drop everything to check on them.

"Bakura's apartment. As soon as you can. Don't call, just come in. Door's unlocked. Try not to scream, it's not as bad as it looks."

He knew she would probably scream anyways. Most people would. They would appear to be dead, sprawled out on the floor, their bodies useless for the time being.

"I suppose I should tell you where our little story is set. It's set in the middle of America, at least, for a while. There are 7 goals in all, although honestly I don't think that will seem very important to our dear hosts once this first one is set in motion."

What did he mean by that? Almost everything he said had some hidden meaning behind it. Some outside motivation.

Apparently he wasn't quite finished with his threatening pre-game speech.

"Little Yugi, I want you to prepare to be able to relate to your dear 'other self' much more closely than you want to."

Now, that was a confusing sentence. Of course he'd want to relate to his other self! Why would Bakura act like that was a bad thing?

Why would Bakura act like there was something about him that Yugi wouldn't want to be able to relate to?

The rising tide that was his Yami's panic let Yugi know that he might have reason for concern.

The pieces clicked together in the spirit's head like the pieces of the item he was so very trapped within.

/Your memory, Yugi! He plans to take your memory! All of it!/

He was growing more frantic as the moments went on and he realized it was what made the most sense.

That idea scared Yugi a lot. Of course it did. But how was he supposed to react, in front of the amnesiac spirit who's emotions he could feel. And vice versa. If he showed his fear, Yami would feel it. Would it upset him?

-Yami, I'll be ok you know.-

It was strange to see his other half panic like this.

/No, Yugi, having no memory...- it's agony, you don't understand-!/

-I will understand, then.-

Yugi cut off his thought, determined not to fight if he was about to forget him, but also willing to stand his ground.

/I don't want you to understand! I wouldn't wish this on you!/

All of this where no one but them could hear. It wasn't just words being exchanged, although Yugi was hiding his fear to the best of his ability.

Yugi projected his image to float at his side, trying to offer comfort. It wasn't often his confident other half was so scared. He let his ghostly hands rest on the pharaoh's shoulders, knowing that the enemy couldn't see him.

"Are you going to take what little I have?"

He was trying to mask his panic, his irritability, but some of it showed through in his words as _venom._

The other boy laughed, not even trying to hide the instability in the sound, seeming to slowly but steadily grow a bit more unhinged.

"You wish. No, your memory will be untouched. Yugi's however..."

He managed to hide the flinch from everyone but his young partner. Yugi noticed.

-Yami, I'll really be ok. I know it's...I see how much it hurts you...but...I'll have you. So I'll be ok.-

The emotion he felt was what would have been behind a sad smile, if they had been alone, and the enemy hadn't been watching.

/You won't remember me./

Yugi knew there wasn't much time left. He also knew he wasn't the only one hiding emotions. There was no reason for them to hide emotions now.

He gently addressed his other half's mental barriers. This was no time to hide.

-Please...before the game starts, I don't want us to hide anything...-

And he felt his hesitance, and then, much to his relief, surrender. The raw fear rushed through him almost as if it was his own. He had to close his eyes, to get through the initial waves. But, at the same time, he surrendered his own emotions.

Knowing his Yami would feel it, he went ahead and admitted in words as well,

-I'm afraid too...-

Before Yami could reply, they were interrupted by the voice that sent them into a little more panic every time they heard it.

"Are you ready?!"

They weren't.

"Game Start!"

Uhg, why did fanfiction always leave off on such cliffhangers every chapter? If only she had time for the next one before school, maybe she wouldn't be daydreaming about YuGiOh all day instead of getting any work done!

In her defense, it was being a really interesting and addicting fanfiction.

Despite being about a really old (and arguably lame) series for kids, she still really enjoyed reading about it in stories like this. She found that fanfiction often went much deeper than the real shows even did into characters and their feelings and plot lines.

Fandom was sort of her life, even at this age, and although she was in many different ones, this was always the one that seemed to pull her back in.

Life was hard, and it was always good to have a little fantasy hanging around, to keep one sane.

She stood up to her full (pathetic) 5 feet, and prepared to enter the insanely boring world of "real people" and all the unfortunate realness that came with that world.

Shoulder length dark brown hair and blue eyes were the first things people always noticed about her.

The older she got, the less she'd be willing to admit how obsessed with these cheesy cartoons she was, but that was ok. She didn't have to admit it to anyone!

Anime was always so much more fun than real life, she thought as she slipped earbuds in for the bus ride.

"Na naaaa na na nana na na na Katamari Damacy" They sang in her ears, helping bring her mood up.

Japanese music was great, she decided, loving the way the words sounded, trying to memorize them, as she slowly forgot about the fanfiction she read just a few minutes ago.


	2. Chapter 2

Only seconds after hearing Bakura officially announce the game beginning, Yugi found himself in a very familiar room.

He knew instantly that it was the room of his soul. Upon realizing that, he was able to assume that his memories hadn't been stolen quite yet, or else he wouldn't know where he was.

Before he was able to think that over, Yami came running in, not stopping to knock or call his name, only trying to find him as quickly as possible.

Wide eyes almost unrecognizably full of fear found Yugi's and seemed to search them.

Of course.

Yugi spoke, stopping his search, knowing already what he was looking for without even having to ask.

"I still remember, Yami. I know you."

He watched as his other half seemed to relax, only to gain his tension back seconds later.

"Yugi, I'm sorry. I-...I didn't mean for it to go this far...If I thought he was going to do something like this, I-..."

"Shhhh."

Yugi cut him off. He'd known this was coming. He also knew Yami had no choice, and that these weren't the rules they were originally presented with.

"It's ok, Yami. It's alright. I know."

He reached out almost timidly to tuck some of his other half's golden bangs behind his ear, knowing he needed physical comfort.

A hand rose to meet his.

"I'm so sorry-"

"Hush."

Yugi cut him off again.

Yami's voice was so soft that Yugi instantly forgave him, even knowing what he was about to go through. He'd probably always forgive his Yami, no matter what he did.

It was quiet in his room, leaving them to their thoughts. They knew the game had just been started, and both of them had at least considered the thought that their body was probably laying in a pile on the floor, in the real world.

Neither of them dared to check.

A question hung in the room, neither of them knowing who was going to voice it first, but both aware of what it was.

Yugi ended up being the first willing to ask what they really didn't want to think about, but knew they needed to.

"So...how much time do you think we have left...?"

Yami's gaze shifted away, obviously still guilty and troubled over the situation. Yugi wanted to comfort him, but knew he'd lose that ability soon enough. He knew he probably didn't have enough time to try something like comforting the person he was about to forget.

That's right, he was going to _forget_ his Yami. It was almost unimaginable. Forget him? How could he? He knew the memories would have to be forced from his head. He'd never forget him by choice.

So, he took his hand. May as well enjoy the time they had together now. He wasn't surprised when the other looked startled. They were much more mentally affectionate than physically, but this felt nice too.

"Yugi...?"

Yugi didn't have to look at him to know he was afraid. He could feel it. But he turned to meet his eyes anyway. He forced a smile that his Yami would know was fake, but that felt necessary.

"You'll be be kind to me, won't you? When I don't remember?"

His poor Yami already looked lost. He hoped it'd get better as this went on, and Yami would be able to handle it.

"Of course I will..."

Yugi trusted him, but he also knew his Yami's personality. He knew he was different around other people. And who wouldn't be? It was very different, for the one tied to your soul.

He thought he could hear whispers of thoughts, of the pharaoh's fears.

He'd address them while he could. Soon he wasn't going to remember enough to talk to his Yami this way anymore.

"You know, I'm going to forget everything, but I won't be without _any_ memories."

Yami turned quickly to look at him, surprised.

"Well," Yugi continued, "It's a roleplaying game...he's going to make me remember things from the game...I'll be...playing a character..."

Yami's surprise turned into thinly veiled _terror_.

"You'll be someone else..."

Yugi smiled sadly at him, not knowing quite what else he could have done, in that position.

"Yes...for a little while..."

Yami didn't know why he hadn't realized this sooner. Not only would Yugi forget everything he currently knew, he'd be _someone else._ For how long? And how would they communicate? Were there really any goals to this game at all, or was this just Bakura's idea of fun? Did he even intend to make the game win-able? Play-able?

"Yami, slow down."

Yugi's voice did help slow his terrified thoughts, but it didn't stop them completely.

Yugi held tighter to his hand.

"Bakura probably won't leave us without hints...I'm _supposed_ to remember, it's just gonna take a while...I think...the point of this is that you can help me, you just can't force me to remember...it's a game...we're good at games."

What Yugi didn't want to mention, and wouldn't let his other half feel quite yet, was that things were already slipping.

He still remembered they were about to play a game, and that he was going to forget a lot of things, but he couldn't remember where they were before this. Bakura's? How'd they get there?

"Yami, it's gonna be ok."

He looked skeptical though.

Yugi could still feel what he was thinking, and he knew that they were going to have to cut each other off after he forgot, if the game didn't do it for them. If he didn't remember, then having the spirit's thoughts in his head would only freak him out. That thought almost hurt, but he knew it was true.

Yami's thoughts were on strategy. There wasn't much they could do here, though. They didn't have options really, they didn't really have a move they could make, right now. Yugi didn't need to voice that for the spirit to know it, so he didn't say anything at all.

He could almost feel the game itself plucking at his memories, making random moments flash before his eyes, just quick enough not to throw him off. Flashes of things that happened minutes or hours ago, milliseconds at a time, and had it been happening any slower, it would have thrown him off balance.

He wouldn't tell his Yami yet. He wasn't sure he had the courage to tell his Yami at all. But he knew that if he didn't say anything now, he wouldn't retain the coherence to explain it. He'd simply start asking questions. He wouldn't remember that he was _supposed_ to forget.

Today's events were getting blurred around the edges, and he tried not to let his breathing speed up in fear.

"Mou hitori no boku..." he finally spoke quietly, still trying to keep his breathing even through the fear and somewhat failing.

He knew he'd instantly have his attention, and he was right as Yami turned to look at him, looking more concerned than he'd seen in a while.

"Are you alright, Aibou?" he could _almost_ hear fear in the spirit's voice as well, but he kept it carefully under a nearly perfect poker face, more concerned for his partner right now than himself.

Yugi nodded, keeping his eyes down. Things were slipping quickly now, he knew. It wouldn't be long before he didn't understand _why_ he was forgetting things anymore. Things were getting blurry, and it was disorienting.

He really didn't want to scare his Yami, but he still vaguely knew what was coming. He knew he was going to start asking questions, and he knew it'd be frightening for both of them.

But...

Why was he going to start asking questions again?

Something serious just happened, didn't it? Something big had happened and it was bothering him that it had slipped his mind.

Where were they before this again?

Something important had happened, he knew it.

"Yugi."

He caught Yami's eyes and wondered why they seemed to search him. Almost question him, just as he was questioning himself.

"...hm?" he quietly hummed in answer, wanting to understand why he was getting that look from his other half.

"Do you know who I am?" The spirit questioned carefully.

Yugi was in shock, and his answer came quickly.

"Of course I do! Why wouldn't I know you, Yami?"

The sad smile on Yami's face just served to upset him even more. What was happening?

"Yami, I don't understand, I-" He stopped when Yami pulled him close, and his affection only made Yugi even more suspicious of whatever was going on. But he didn't struggle. He let Yami hold him.

After a few seconds, he did finally speak up from the other man's grasp, too curious not to.

"What's happening?"

The sound he received in return wasn't a laugh, and it wasn't a sob. It wasn't quite pained but it wasn't a joyful sound. More like a huff of somber acceptance.

He pushed Yugi just far away enough to look him in the eyes.

"Aibou," he started, the almost too sweet and soft tone of his voice enough to make Yugi's stomach turn with anxiety, alone. "You're about to forget a lot of things. But it's ok, because I'm here with you."

"But-!" the other started in, before Yami took his hand again. "Yami, I don't want to forget things...what does that mean, why is that happening...?"

The sad smile was back, and this time, the spirit's eyes were closed, seeming like he had to face some great fear, himself.

"Try not to ask questions, Aibou. Just,-" He started to lead Yugi over to the bed that existed within his mind only when he truly needed it, "Just sit with me for a while, and talk. Try not to ask questions, and try not to be afraid."

He wanted to make this process as painless for Yugi as he possibly could. Of course, he couldn't completely hide his own fear, either.

"But Yami, I-" He gently shushed him, cutting him off again, pulling him to sit beside him, making sure he was still holding onto his hand. "Am I going to forget you too...?"

Yami had to take a moment to process the question before he answered, as calmly as he could manage.

"Yes."

Another moment of time passed in Yugi's ever-bright and wonderful feeling soul room, and memories continued to slip from his head as though they were sand slipping through his fingers.

"Why?"

Yami tried desperately not to show how much it hurt him to see this happening to his other half.

"Try not to ask questions, Aibou." he managed, trying desperately to keep his voice level, to keep his poker face up.

He let his thumb slide across Yugi's hand before he spoke again,

"How are you feeling? Are you tired?"

Yugi caught his eyes again, and the fear in them shook the old spirit more than he would have liked to admit.

"No, I'm just scared..."

He knew he was going to have to be less affectionate with his partner as time went on, because Yugi was forgetting everything they'd ever been through. But for now, he let himself tuck Yugi's bangs behind his ear, just as Yugi had done to him only minutes ago.

"Don't be afraid. I'm here."

He knew he was getting repetitive, but knew it was for good reason, and was willing to keep right on being repetitive, if it was something Yugi needed to hear.

He hadn't realized it was going to be a slow process. He had wondered, but some part of him assumed it would be quick, that his aibou wouldn't be forced to forget everything agonizingly slowly. And of course, soon he wouldn't even remember forgetting things at all.

Every moment was a new start, every moment, it was like he was reset. It was horribly painful to watch.

"Mou hitori no boku?"

He snapped out of his deep thought to turn and look at him, not replying in words, but with his eyes.

"What are we doing here again? Sorry, I just-"

Yami tried to make himself resist pulling Yugi into a hug one last time, but he wasn't sure how much longer he'd be able to hug him. Sooner or later, Yugi was probably going to be afraid of him. So he gave in. He heard Yugi's surprised gasp, and realized that this was going to be as close as they got for a while. Possibly a long while.

"It's ok," he spoke quietly near Yugi's ear, not quite ready to let him go yet, "Everything's ok, Aibou. Don't be afraid."

He finally pulled away, trying to forget that it would be a long time before he could be that close to him again, and caught his still fearful eyes.

"Don't be afraid." he repeated, knowing that repeating himself was still necessary. "Just trust me."

Yugi seemed to relax for a second, hearing those words. The moment passed, and he glanced around the room, looking confused, tensing up again.

"It's ok." Yami repeated again, causing Yugi to turn towards him, almost looking surprised to see him there. It was so strange to watch him forget everything that was being said, even now. "You're ok. I'm here with you."

There was so much fear on his partner's face, he couldn't help but repeat himself, especially when Yugi would seem reassured for seconds at a time, and then start to look confused and scared again.

"What's happening?"

Yugi would say again and again, over the next few minutes. Yami would always answer, always replying with some variation of "It's ok, don't worry about that." The entire process was strange and painful for both of them. It hurt to watch him forget what he was being told almost instantly. He was incapable of remembering anything new, right now.

His reassuring loop seemed to drift to an end, when Yugi looked around the room seeming confused again, but this time jumped up, in fear, not seeming to recognize the place at all.

When he turned on instinct to see the spirit behind him, he let out a surprised gasp, almost as though he had assumed he was alone.

"You're..." Yami had expected this, but he had hoped it wouldn't happen. As much as he knew it was coming, he closed his eyes for a second or two, and wished desperately that what was about to occur, wouldn't. "You're my other self, aren't you..."

He couldn't let himself get emotional now. Yugi wouldn't understand.

"Yes." he replied, recalling their first few real meetings, and knowing that was what Yugi was feeling right now.

"We look a lot alike..."

He was surprised Yugi had retained this much, since his first initial surprise at being in his soul room.

He nodded, not wanting to risk his partner forgetting where he was halfway through a sentence.

He knew what was coming, and he tried to brace for it as much as he could. But as much as he tried, he'd never be ready.

As he watched Yugi glance around the room in wonder again, he stepped back, offering some distance, and preparing himself for hard questions.

Yugi gasped again, upon seeing him.

But this time, there was very little recognition in his eyes. It hurt the old spirit to know why there was any at all. Yugi saw himself in him. He wasn't recognizing a partner, but looking at him as though he was a mirror. He saw Yugi's eyes catching on their very few differences.

"Who are you...?"

He didn't have much time to think on an answer, and what came out was, "a friend."

But before that could sink in, Yugi looked confused again.

It was happening fast enough now that he knew it wouldn't be too long before his partner didn't have anything left.

"Here," he said, ignoring Yugi's shock at noticing him standing there, not answering when he asked him who he was, and why they looked so much alike. "Why don't you sit for a little bit."

Yugi protested a little with words, but did let him lead him back to the bed, where he yawned, before looking completely confused again.

"You can lay down if you want."

Yugi looked up at him, everything in his expression making him look more like a child than the teenager he was.

"I'm a little tired..."

But as soon as the words were out of his mouth, the confusion returned, and he was moving to stand back up.

Yami put a gentle hand on his shoulder, to try to keep him from running around the room pointlessly.

"Lay down for a while. It'll be ok."

It was strange talking to Yugi knowing that he didn't know who he was. It had been a very long time since he had treated him like a stranger.

Poor Yugi looked lost, but he nodded, and moved to lay down.

"Are you me...?"

He said quietly, scanning the other's figure, even from his position laying down.

"Sort of." was the short answer he got.

They sat in the silence for a while, Yugi perpetually forgetting what was just said minutes ago.

And for a while, they cycled through the same questions and the same answers.

And after so long, they seemed to finally hit a breaking point.

Yugi sat up a little, and looked around curiously, not gasping when he saw he wasn't alone, but looking slightly surprised just the same.

"Where are we?" he asked, and for a minute, Yami assumed he was going to forget whatever answer he gave, just like he had been for the last little while.

"Somewhere safe." It was the answer that he had learned after a few times was the fastest and most effective way of explaining it.

"Oh.", Yugi muttered, and that alone surprised Yami a little, as he assumed Yugi was going to repeat the question, or one of the other similar questions. "Well," Yugi started, looking slightly less confused than he had in a little while, finally. "Can you tell me who I am?"

It was hitting the spirit that he hadn't forgotten his first answer yet.

"Do you remember who you are?" he asked, already knowing the answer, but wanting to see just how far gone his partner was.

"No...I don't remember anything."

Yugi seemed to have retained the last few minutes. So...

They were in the same boat right now. Yugi and the spirit were in an eerily similar position.

"I'll tell you all about it soon." he told him, almost wanting to talk more based on the idea that his aibou was present enough to hold a conversation again.

"You said we're safe here, right?"

"Yes."

It was unnerving to watch his partner act so similar to how he himself had, in the beginning.

He was grateful that Yugi seemed to trust him for now. So, what happened from here? He assumed Yugi would probably end up needing to sleep at some point, to have the game's memories kick in. He didn't know a lot about these things, and he wasn't necessarily an expert of any kind, but something just told him that Yugi would have to sleep for this to really set in.

What he didn't expect, was to yawn himself. The fearful expression on his face must have broken through his carefully set poker face he had in place to keep himself from getting emotional.

"Are you ok?"

And oh, how he wished it was truly his partner asking. His thoughts were going too fast, and he didn't answer aloud, panicking slightly instead.

This wasn't something he had never felt in this form before, but it was rare. Spiritual exhaustion is possible, but it usually doesn't feel quite the same as it does when you're flesh. He'd felt tired in Yugi's body plenty of times. Exhausted, even, in some cases. But usually here, it felt different. This time, it felt as human as he'd felt since he was standing in Bakura's apartment.

"Hey, don't look so scared. You said we were safe. What's so scary?"

He was no longer able to keep hiding his emotions. This was a raw sort of fear he hadn't felt in a while. Mostly because he wasn't supposed to feel things as physically as he was feeling them now. This wasn't a physical place, so his physical exhaustion didn't make _sense_.

"I'm tired." he managed, and very much confused his amnesiac partner.

"So, why don't you sleep?"

He would have stood up in his panic, but he didn't have the energy anymore.

"No, you don't understand, I-"

Yugi yawned, and then fell to his side lazily himself, looking equally worn out. "So, lay down. I won't mind. I'm really tired too."

Yami was shaken enough to lose some of his composure, something he wouldn't have admit, and didn't like feeling.

"It's so strange seeing you like this, Aibou..."

Yugi shot him a confused expression. "What am I usually like?" Yugi paused, but then, realizing he wasn't going to get an answer, seemed to decide to speak again, after looking over the man sitting up beside him. "and...partner?"

He had forgotten in his fearful state of mind that Yugi wouldn't recognize his name or anything he was used to being called.

"It's a nickname."

Yugi's expression softened, and he looked a bit more like himself.

"You look terrified. What's wrong?"

Still his partner, even after forgetting everything.

"I'm not...I...this tired feeling is new." he tried to explain, "I'm not used to it..I can't usually feel this much, here..."

He hated how scared he must have looked, but there wasn't much to be done about that at this point.

"You're not used to feeling things like being tired...? Well, being sleepy isn't gonna hurt you."

Yugi, still himself even without memories, replied softly, throwing his terribly confused and somewhat hurt other half off a bit.

"But I-..."

"I don't know anything about you." Yugi said suddenly, breaking the spirit from his thoughts, and cutting through his fear. "I don't know who you are. I don't even know who _I_ am." He sat up, just enough to catch the other's eyes. "I guess I should be scared." he continued, "but I'm...not. Not really. I'm just..." he paused to yawn, his eyes looking distant with sleep, "I'm really really tired."

Yami was a bit shocked.

The game must've been trying to put them both to sleep. He wasn't sure he wanted that. He wasn't sure he could lose awareness so easily. So willingly.

When he looked back beside him at Yugi, he was laying down with his eyes closed, and panic rose.

"Wait, I-"

Normally, he would have felt good that his partner was peacefully asleep, but right now he was so scared that he wasn't able to feel the calm he usually felt from knowing that.

"S'ok." he heard from beside him, quiet and slurred with exhaustion. "M' not asleep yet."

And it almost seemed like his Yugi again.

Exhaustion falling over him, as it had been for the last few minutes, he finally gave in, and laid beside him.

"I'm afraid." he admit, his mind slightly foggy.

"Hey, don't be scared", Yugi whispered from beside him. "Just...rest for a while..."

It almost sounded...

It was what he had said to Yugi before. He was repeating what he was told, only a few minutes ago. Even if he didn't consciously remember it, some part of him must have.

And that fact was comforting enough to get him to finally let go.

And the world went dark.

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Game Start.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:**

 **I swear, I am working on this. Life proves to be one of those things that takes up time and gets in the way of where I'd usually rather be, in fiction.**

 **But this is for sure something I am still updating and working on, I promise!**

* * *

For Ryou, forgetting wasn't the bittersweet moment it got to be for Yugi. Ryou didn't have the same support. Although, he might have said it was easier to forget, when he was alone. At least he didn't have the heartbroken face of someone he cared about to consider, as everything was slipping. Of course, he wouldn't remember it anyways.

Bakura, the dark spirit, didn't feel the need to bother with him as he was forgetting. It was of no consequence to him, because he knew Ryou wouldn't remember anyway. So why go try to talk to someone who wasn't going to remember anything that was said? No, it was better just to leave him alone.

He was just glad that he himself wasn't going to forget anything. No, that would put him on the same level as the very enemy he designed this game to torture.

Was the game playable? Sure. Of course it was playable. It wouldn't be fun otherwise. He just didn't think his enemy would use the word "fun" to describe it.

* * *

Her phone vibrated in sync with the factory default ringtone on her phone. Uhg, it was Monday. Of course it was Monday. Couldn't have TOO much sleep and happiness over the weekend, right?

School probably wouldn't be too bad. She was plenty capable enough to handle the bookwork, but the people could be exhausting. Of course, she'd put on a smile and try to be genuinely happy for the first few hours, but it was nearing the end of the semester and everyone was starting to look tired.

No matter, though. She'd get through it just like she got through every day, and then she'd get her group of friends together and talk or do whatever it was they were doing today. She thought she'd seen something on the group chat about meeting up at a coffee place later? That sorta sounded fun. She had a friend who worked at a coffee place, and it'd be great to say hi.

Meanwhile, school dragged by. A novel and a manga she'd gotten at the library sat begging to be read in her school bag, but unfortunately had to be ignored for the time being. It was getting hard to think about the little things with big plans and changes on the horizon. College, for instance. She'd be moving forever away from home, and starting this new chapter, all on her on.

She had big plans in life.

College, a job she'd enjoy, a house, a car, maybe even kids.

Sure, fantasy helped a lot when she was feeling like life got too monotonous, but she had to stay grounded in reality.

And reality meant _homework_.

Among other things. Daily life could get boring. Thus her love of fantasy and cartoons and anime and the like.

Toady, someone tracked her down in the hallway to ask about something nerdy, which honestly she should have expected based on the fact that she had anime t-shirts and hats and buttons, but somehow, she was still surprised by it.

"I heard a rumor that you role play? Like, online?"

She finished moving stuff around in her locker as she replied, "I heard you like roleplay so I put some roleplay in your roleplay so you can roleplay while you roleplay."

The random classmate who's name she sadly hadn't felt the need to remember before now rolled their eyes in response to the ancient meme.

"No but really, you RP?"

She started walking down the hallway, the classmate following her, sort of hoping that he'd quit following her if she walked far enough.

"I mean, I used to. It's been a long while though."

The freshman seemed to get excited, and their eyes lit up with hope.

"I just started this massive Hetalia RP group on Facebook and-"

"Woah there," she interrupted, "I've never even seen Hetalia."

The boy seemed to get confused, as he replied, "What?! You're telling me you were in the roleplay community online and you _never_ roleplayed Hetalia?"

"Nope." she replied simply, kinda wishing this dude wasn't taking up all her few free moments.

"Then what _did_ you guys RP?"

Great. Not that she didn't enjoy it back when it was going on, but it wasn't something that still really went on anymore. It sorta just dissolved and she hadn't really messed with it since. Let alone in many other fandoms.

"Eh, YuGiOh mostly."

Luckily for her, the bell rang after that, and she was able to escape the questions about how it was possible to roleplay from a show about a card game. She was aware it was about a card game. It had still been fun at the time!

There just wasn't a lot of time for roleplay when life got in the way. Life was really good at getting in the way lately. But maybe today after school she would actually have time to relax and talk about something on TV or something nerdy and fun.

Between class periods at school she shot her friend a text letting her know she might be able to visit at the coffee shop later. She really hoped that was the case. They weren't just friends, they were close friends. Very best friends, they would say, if you asked on the right day.

When she didn't get a reply, she assumed her friend was busy at work. For being a normal Monday, today felt pretty weird, in a way she couldn't put her finger on. It just felt off. Maybe she was coming down with something?

Eh, she'd figure it out after school, she thought as she dove back into her bookwork, hoping to bring up her grade in this class.

As she was sitting through her final class for the day, she found that she still couldn't shake the feeling. Almost like she didn't belong here, even though she knew she'd gone to school here for the last few years, and that it was a familiar place.

She found herself remembering things about the school and things that had happened there, and it seemed to take the edge off of the feeling.

Things like laughing with friends during lunch in her first year, and the time she found out one of her friends was behind the infamous massive bathroom graffiti job, and the year she'd brought a Christmas gift for one teacher in particular who always seemed a bit down, and it really seemed to brighten their spirits, if even a little.

This was home. Had always been home.

Maybe it was just the simple fact that it was her last year throwing her off. She supposed it was always possible.

But it almost felt too persistent to just be something like that.

She shook it off, climbing into the passenger seat of a friend's car, to hit the coffee shop after school.

Finally pulling the manga out of her bag to flip through while the two in the backseat made conversation with the one driving.

These were some of her best friends, and she knew that she _had_ to keep in contact with them once school ended. It might be hard, but she'd do her best. She wanted to know them, always. Close friends were really important to her, and these were friends worth keeping.

"Hey, does today feel weird to you guys?"

She decided that maybe talking about it would make the feeling go away.

"You're over thinking it again Ren, stop worrying for once!"

It was lighthearted, meant to tease, not to hurt. But still...

"No, I mean, doesn't today feel off somehow?"

She said again, starting to wonder if it really was just her.

"Nah," voiced the one in the seat directly behind her, "you're just thinkin' too much, that's all. It's those pre-college jitters." he teased, knowing he could get away with it, because they were so close.

"I mean if you say so, but honestly today just feels weird to me."

The subject changed after that, and she lost interest, flipping through her book again instead of listening.

Volume 1 of YuGiOh. Quite the interesting volume, since it didn't really resemble the anime, and didn't focus on a card game.

She continued to read through it, even though this wasn't the first time she had, noticing how different all the characters looked in the beginning. Of course, artists improve over time, and so the very first few chapters looked drastically different than the rest of it.

It was a welcomed difference though, for the most part.

They finally arrived at the humble cozy little Starbucks, she noticed when one of her friends started repeating her name to get her attention, and she finally put the book back in her bag and braved the cold to make it inside, where the strong smell of coffee and baked goods was welcoming and warm.

She thought her friend would be working this time of day, but she didn't see her anywhere, until she looked behind all of the employees taking orders, and back to the ones making drinks.

That wasn't _that_ odd, but it threw her off for a second. Usually, her friend was very charismatic and even loud, making her a good choice to put on the register, to be the one talking to customers. So, for her to be in the back making drinks while the obviously tired and less optimistic employees were up here running the counter, was just a bit weird.

So she turned her attention back to the group of friends she arrived with, who were all deciding what to order, and one of which was asking how many shots of espresso he thought he could get them to put in a single drink.

Her friends could be funny like that sometimes. They were teenagers, and it showed. But there wasn't anything wrong with it! They were just teenagers being teenagers, because for so many of them, they wouldn't be, for that much longer.

Soon they'd all be adults, and then they wouldn't have the chance to act like goofy teenagers anymore.

So, in the meantime, she was silent (besides a bit of laughter), as she watched her friend order a caramel frappe with _seven_ shots of espresso in it.

It wasn't until a bit later when she saw her best friend again, but this time she appeared to be on break, talking to another one of their friends, as the group moved to rejoin.

Excited to see her again, she wasted no time in greeting her, saying something she'd forget later, the standard 'hey how are you, how's work' type of thing.

To her shock, her friend froze, as though...almost as though she didn't recognize her.

That was weird. Not just weird, but actually strange enough to send up red flags in her head. _Really_ weird.

She listened for her friend's reply, which was something very out of character about how crazy work had been, and then she watched her for a moment, formulating her own reply, and asking herself if she honestly thought it was that strange.

The longer she watched the weirder it was.

Finally she spoke again, getting genuinely worried for her friend.

She had to ask if she was ok, and that's what she did, voicing it in front of all her friends, because they weren't as close to the girl who worked at the coffee shop, and they wouldn't realize just how strange she was acting.

The reply the girl used included the word "fine", but she could tell something was wrong. This just wasn't like her at all. She wasn't moving like her, and wasn't speaking like her.

But before she had the chance to mention it again, one of her friends spoke up, casually, obviously not as affected by all this madness.

"Oh _this_ is Ana?" It was a friend from school who hadn't met her best friend more than once and must not have remembered it well, "this joker told me she'd never heard of YuGiOh!"

The friend laughed, and normally, she would have laughed too, but that was just another thing out of place. Of course she'd heard of yugioh. It was all they talked about half the time. Why would she say she hadn't? Even as a joke?

Her friend, Ana, looked visibly uncomfortable. What was wrong? Why couldn't she figure out what on earth was going on?

They were so close, and now she was looking at her like she didn't even know her?

The next words out of her mouth weren't really something she planned, just a desperate attempt to make things feel normal again.

"Ana, it _is_ me, ya'know...it's _me_..."

The girl in front of her froze again, and looked her over carefully. Very carefully. So much so that it was almost uncomfortable. What was going on?

A spark, just a tiny spark of recognition lit up in her eyes.

And as that spark faded, their eyes met. One confused and concerned, and the other _searching_. Searching for what, she didn't know.

This was all so strange. So weird.

Her friend eventually replied, after a long silence, with more uncharacteristic words. More things that didn't make any sense.

She turned to see one of her friends hanging up a phone. She hadn't even realized, in all this madness, that they had been talking on one.

"Yo, mom's yapping about homework so I gotta get home."

And that meant they all had to go, since they'd all left school in the same friend's car.

She'd have to deal with this later. She'd text her later and ask what the heck. Surely this was something explainable. Maybe her friend was just having a bad day. Maybe she was just out of it a bit today. That's probably why they had her making drinks instead of doing the customer service bit.

Yeah. Probably just a sleepless night or something.

As she turned to wave goodbye before leaving, she noticed, just for a second, the completely _lost_ look her friend Ana wore.

She waved, and ignored it.

Later, she told herself. At least let Ana finish her shift at work, she figured.

But at some point, she was going to have to address how strange her friend was acting. Was she angry with her for some reason?

Even just last night, they had seemed fine, so this was certainly a shock to her. It made her uncomfortable how much it seemed like Ana didn't even _recognize_ her.

She started to get lost in thought as her eyes watched the lines of the road as the car moved forward.

She'd text her later.

For now, she let her mind drift, knowing that she might have a hard conversation ahead of her.


	4. Chapter 4

For Yami, waking up was...different.

He didn't wake up with a jolt or a shock or sit straight up or even process the fact that he'd been sleeping in the first place, for a while.

For him, waking up felt oddly sleepy. He hardly registered who or where he was, instead choosing to think about this warmth and comfort he was feeling. His entire body was so relaxed, almost numb. Of course, that was something he was used to. But for some reason, it was more comfortable this way.

Things started hitting him slowly.

With great effort, he reached up to brush the hair out of his face, assuming it had fallen in front of his eyes in his sleep, and only when the skin made contact did he receive the shock of waking up.

He felt it.

Really felt it, more than he should have felt anything in-

This time, he did sit straight up. This wasn't Yugi's soul room. And after the breaths started to come faster, was able to come to the conclusion that it wasn't even Yugi's _body_.

And speaking of Yugi, where was he?!

The spirit of the puzzle shot out of bed, taking only a split second to notice how cold the hardwood floor was, glancing down at himself, finding the body he was standing in to be completely unfamiliar. It wasn't thin, but it wasn't considerably overweight either. It was average. It was female.

Those were the things he noticed immediately.

His thoughts were absolutely rushing, trying to figure out what could have been happening. This wasn't supposed to happen. He was supposed to be with Yugi. In a game. Wait, was this the game?

There was no other explanation, so by process of elimination, he started to base his thoughts on the assumption that this _was_ the game. Of course, it had to be.

But if it was the game, why wasn't he with his partner? Why would he be given his own game piece? As Bakura promised, his memories hadn't been tampered with as far as he could tell, so why throw him into his own game piece, when he so easily could have stayed with Yugi?

This complicated things.

He jumped as an unfamiliar sound filled the room, and something on the bedside table started vibrating. An alarm was going off, on a cell phone.

It only took him a few seconds to turn it off, but now his heart was racing even more than before.

He was supposed to play a character? He wasn't ready for this. He hadn't planned for it. Hadn't even given it a second of thought, as it didn't make any _sense_.

So, Yugi was someone, somewhere else?

What if they were on the other side of the game's world? Where were they, anyways? His thoughts were overloading his head, even as empty as it felt without Yugi's presence.

"Getting ready for work, Ana?" he heard someone yell down the hall. Were they talking to him? A job? No, he wasn't going to work. He couldn't. Surely. There were much more important things right now than some minimum wage job in this world where they money couldn't possibly matter. It was a _game_.

But what else could he do? Would not going break some sort of rule? Would it lose this character the job?

He decided to make a mental note of the name he'd heard the woman's voice call. Ana. Was that going to have to be his name for a little while? If he'd had more time to think about it, the idea of having a name, one separate from Yugi's, was weird all by itself.

He didn't know anything about this "Ana" character who he had to play now. If he did intend to go to the job, what was he meant to wear? Where did she work?

A "Starbucks" apron draped across a chair gave him answers to both of those questions at once.

He reluctantly pulled a new shirt on, and slipped the apron over it, trying to ignore the clear differences between this body and Yugi's. He was used to being smaller than this. This body had more weight on it than he was used to. Even just at her average (for an American) size, this was still a lot heavier than he was used to being. Yugi nearly fell in the "underweight" category, and that was what he had grown used to.

He made himself ignore it, and everything it meant, as he put on the name tag he found on her bedside table, wondering what was wrong with him. How could he go to work? A job he'd never done before, at some coffee shop? He thought he'd heard the name before, in the real world.

He was starting to understand that Bakura leaving his memories alone was indeed, a favor. If he'd forgotten too, there wouldn't be any way of knowing they weren't in the real world. If he really thought he was Ana, they'd just be stuck here, never knowing this wasn't their life.

And he didn't remember anything of Ana's. He hadn't even known her name, let alone anything else. Which was what was going to make this job very difficult.

"Ok, let's go!" he heard from down the hall.

He was thanking his lucky stars that he wouldn't have to drive himself to "work". Yugi had never driven before. He couldn't drive. He didn't want to see what would happen if he tried.

This all felt absolutely completely real. The chill of the wind outside, the color of the sky, the smell of things. Too real. He wasn't even used to being this _alive_ let alone as someone else, going to some job he'd never tried to do before.

What would happen if he was fired? What if he couldn't manage it and was fired?

He pushed those worries aside. This would be the best way to come across as many people as he could. That way, he'd hopefully eventually find Yugi.

Once he found Yugi, he wasn't sure what came after that.

The woman sitting beside him in the car was apparently Ana's mother. The thought made him slightly uncomfortable. She wasn't real, he presumed. She was probably a non-player-character. She seemed real enough. Strangely so.

"Am uh-, am I dressed properly for work?" he dared to ask, hoping he'd put on the right clothes a few minutes ago. He knew he had the apron, and the name tag. Hopefully everything else was fair game.

"Yeah, you look fine, why?"

"Just curious", he replied, managing to keep his voice from showing his shock at how different it was than he was used to. He was starting to feel really _off_. None of this was him at all. At least with Yugi, he felt somewhat _himself_ even if he wasn't sure who that was yet. This? This wasn't him at all. He would never get used to this.

He finally walked into the humble coffee shop, pleased at how cozy it looked, as he was half expecting it to be an industrial nightmare.

This one actually had couches and looked and felt relaxing.

But, now what?

He put up his best poker face and proceeded to the "employees only" areas, hoping he'd find someone who was friends with Ana who might be able to help.

Did she have friends? Would they notice he wasn't Ana?

He'd have to think of an excuse. The body wasn't particularly exhausted, but he started letting his fear show through in the form of tiredness. He had a plan, at least, to explain why he wouldn't know what's going on.

"Hey Ana! What's up?"

Recognition was in her eyes when she looked at him. Close enough.

"Hungover" he replied, knowing good and well that he'd never, at least in Yugi's body, drank more than a sip of anything.

The girl across from him raised an eyebrow. He let his shoulders sag, and shot back a semi-annoyed exhausted look.

"I thought you didn't drink?"

Was he going to be getting questions like this all day?

"Thought so too." he mumbled as he passed her, trying to get a good look at the machinery he'd have to work today.

"Aright, put Ana on kitchen duty today, she's gonna be useless up front."

How was he just supposed to jump into this girl's life with no warning? At least they were going to go easy on him today.

"Kitchen" duty proved to be not as bad as he'd assumed. He was washing dishes, occasionally throwing a sandwich together, and then making drinks. At first, he was really confused at all the drink names, and classifications and special terms.

After a while, muscle memory started to kick in. Ana's muscle memory, he assumed. After a while, it was starting to be auto-pilot. Mocha frappe no whip extra drizzle. Caramel latte skim milk double shot extra whip. He didn't know how he knew what they meant, but after a while it wasn't as hard as it should have been.

It was on his break that he got the first clue about this game world.

He was sitting in the main cafe part, people watching mostly, and snacking on something so he'd have enough energy to complete his shift, when he saw it.

His heart skipped a beat.

What was Yugi's face-no- _his_ face, doing on the cover of a comic book?

He barely managed to wipe the shocked look off his face in time for the young adult girl holding the book to notice him staring.

And it was unmistakably his face, in cartoon form, on the cover of the book. Even with as ridiculously overdone and anime-ish as it looked, there was no mistaking it. It was him, and the puzzle, all underneath some overdone looking logo.

He couldn't help but ask.

"What's that you're reading?"

The girl gave him a questioning look. Probably because he'd just interrupted her reading time.

"Sorry, it just looks interesting." he continued.

"It's Yu-Gi-Oh," she said, smiling a bit.

He had to take a breath to stop his eyes from rolling. "Game king"? Really?

"Mind if I take a look? I've never seen it before."

She looked pretty suspicious, but nevertheless, handed it over after bookmarking it so she wouldn't lose her place.

He flipped through the pages, completely stunned. It was like a watered down version of their lives, all here in comic form. It was insulting, but at the same time it was _wonderful_. Despite how absolutely offensive these over the top cartoon versions of them were, it was amazing to know that he existed in at least some way that Yugi would recognize.

He existed here. Even as fiction.

Did Yugi's character know about this? This must have been a clue. This was what Bakura would consider a clue to help Yugi and Ryou remember.

Even if Yugi's character didn't know about it, this was a good starting point. A good thing to form a plan around. Now he'd just have to convince whoever Yugi happened to be right now that this comic book was actually non-fiction. A bit easier said than done. Especially since he had no idea who or where Yugi was at the moment.

Would they be friends in this world? Did Ana know whoever Yugi was? That would certainly make it easier. Was he lucky enough for that to be the case? If it wasn't, and Yugi was someone that Ana didn't have any reason to be around, would it even be possible for them to get close enough to talk about this comic.

"Um..."

He realized he was still holding the girl's comic book, staring at the pages, having been completely lost in thought.

"Oh, sorry!" he handed it back, as he realized he needed to strike up a conversation with this girl who, in a way, _knew him_.

If she knew these characters, she knew him. It was weird. It was almost as though she had read his journal or something.

"So, is this...something you read a lot?"

He wasn't quite sure what to say, but he had to get a conversation going with her somehow.

"Yeah, I've read the whole series, and now I'm reading it a second time. I've seen the anime too, but it's not quite as good."

Anime? Now he and Yugi were an anime? That would be so weird to see. Comics were one thing, but to watch the events of their lives as an anime would be almost insulting. Especially if it wasn't even a _good_ anime. But, who knew. Perhaps the girl was wrong about it being bad.

"Who's your favorite?" he questioned, knowing that she couldn't possibly say the name of someone he didn't know in real life, or at least know of.

"I thought you said you'd never read it?" The girl chimed in, curious but still very suspicious.

He'd have to think quick on his feet here.

"I have a friend who's really into it"

It didn't exactly hold up, but she seemed to accept it as an answer for now. It was weird interacting with her as another girl. He wasn't a girl, not even if his body was built like one, but he was being seen as one right now and he knew that would affect his interactions with people.

"Well, it's really hard to pick favorites, but I really like Yugi. Yami too, but I think Yugi is my favorite."

It was so strange to hear people talking about them as though they were characters. Fictional. But even though the comic was over-dramatic portrayals of them, it was still things they had said and done.

Should he keep acting like he didn't know anything about it? Should he try to keep talking to her?

"Yugi seems to be a really likeable character", he replied with a smile, almost feeling weird that she would know him if she could see him for what he really looked like. She would recognize him.

It hit him all at once that she could be an NPC, sure. Or she could be Ryou. Or Bakura. Or _Yugi_.

He had to be careful here, because this wasn't the real world, this was a game. A game designed specifically to work against him, and a game that he should remember would try to fool him.

He caught her eyes, caring very little about society's rules about such things, only needing to try to tell who she was, without directly asking.

Unfortunately for him, the moment he was starting to get a good look at her, a group walked up to join her.

Even more unfortunately for him, was that one of them recognized him. Or rather, recognized _Ana_.

"Hey Ana! I texted you earlier to let you know I was coming, but I guess you've been busy! Crazy day at work?"

He was frozen in place for a second. Everyone acted like he was some sort of people expert, but that just wasn't the case. Just because he was good at games didn't mean he was good with people. When he faced an opponent in a game, he got to learn about them and their reactions and how they worked. In real life though, that much wasn't offered. He had no idea who this was. He didn't know who it was to Ana, or who it could possibly be to _him._ Or, it could just be yet another NPC.

"Yeah, it's been crazy." he managed, still desperately trying to decide how to act in front of this person.

The girl looked at him as though he was doing something strange. So, she knew Ana, then. She knew Ana well?

How well?

More importantly, was she someone real, or an NPC? How could he find out her name without asking directly?

"Are you ok, Ana?"

"Hm?" he turned in slight surprise, still getting used to responding to her name, realizing he was failing at acting "normal", whatever that meant.

"Oh uh, yes, I'm fine."

The girl didn't look reassured. Had she and Ana been close? If it wasn't a game, he would have felt bad that he _wasn't_ Ana.

But it was a game, and he couldn't find himself particularly guilty just for the act of being himself.

How was he supposed to act like Ana if he'd never even met her outside of waking up in her body this morning? He was playing someone he'd never had the chance to meet or learn anything about. Of _course_ he was failing.

They were talking amongst themselves and the one he was talking to, who unfortunately knew all the rest of them, let it slip that he'd mentioned he'd never seen the comic their lives were based on, before.

Oops.

He probably shouldn't have said that. Because, while it had been true enough in the moment, and it _had_ worked for what it was meant for, which was getting his hands on it, it didn't hold up very long, as he was learning.

This poor girl who came in seeming so friendly seemed almost hurt by that.

But was she _real?_ He refused to be upset about hurting her unless she was real. Unless she was someone he knew.

She looked hurt, and she was searching him, and not finding what she was looking for.

She was carefully looking him over, and his half smile didn't do anything to make the situation less awkward, so in a few seconds, it faded into the confused expression he hoped he wouldn't wear for the rest of this stupid game.

Suddenly, she spoke again. Which wouldn't have been as important if it wasn't for exactly what she said.

"Ana, it _is_ me, ya'know...it's _me_..."

He caught her eyes as she was speaking, and it hit him. It wasn't a certainty, no. This didn't mean he was sure.

But there was the possibility that this could be _Yugi_.

He caught her eyes, and really searched them. Was this his partner? If so, how could he be sure he'd remain in contact?

He couldn't ask outright, right now. If this was Yugi, he wouldn't know who he was. But this girl knew the comic. That was a start.

Oh, he had to answer her aloud, didn't he? That was something he kept forgetting. Bad side effect of not being _alive_ most of the time, and being able to be seen by human eyes, and heard by _everyone_ instead of just Yugi.

"Oh uh, yes...of course..."

The girl didn't look satisfied with that answer, but she didn't say anything to counter it.

Suddenly, they were leaving? They were all moving quickly, all getting ready to pile into a car and go, and for some reason, that fact alone seemed shocking.

The chance that this was his partner...

He wanted more time to talk to her properly...more time to decide, to find out if she really could have been his Yugi, and now she was leaving.

He forced himself not to panic. He already knew he wasn't acting like Ana, and he knew the girl caught on to that, but he couldn't be forceful about his identity, whether she was Yugi or not. That wouldn't fall in line with the "role play" based rules of the game, and it wouldn't _work_.

Still, he couldn't keep himself from feeling just slightly lost, as she waved and walked out. Maybe that meant something.

Maybe the fact that he wanted her to stay, meant it really was his partner.

For now, he'd go back to the monotonous world of drink-making, and address that later. At least for this first day, he'd do Ana's job until it ended, and he'd play the game as it was meant to be played.

Tomorrow, he'd rethink the job and try to make a first move.

He let himself slip back into auto-pilot as he left his break and finally got back to work.

This was progress, for the first day.

And if that was Yugi, he was lucky. If Yugi already knew the comic and knew the world, and knew _him_ , even as fiction...

This could be a good thing.

But either way, he was still standing at a job he didn't so much know how to do, alone, in a body he wasn't used to.

Either way he'd still have to go back "home" later, to Ana's house, and pretend everything was ok. He'd probably have to come back to this job tomorrow. It was only Monday. How long would he have to keep this up? He could roleplay as well as the next guy, but when it was like this, when it was this real, it was hard to keep up.

He moved to check the schedule, not questioning how he knew where it was, or how he knew how to read it. Only half an hour longer.

He needed time to think, time to plan.

There was really only one certainty here. Everyone he met was either an NPC, Bakura, Ryou, or Yugi.

Everyone he met was either his enemy, or his partner.

And he had to be completely sure before he revealed himself, or it could lead to his loss of this game, and as he was coming to discover, loss of this game was likely to be much worse than he originally thought.


End file.
